NERVECELL - "We Customized Our Lives For Music"
July 4, 2014, 10 years ago
Dubai-based Nervecell are featured in the new edition of Rolling Stone India. An excerp from the story is available below:
Despite gaining MBA degrees from Europe and being well-acquainted with E-Business and other management jargon, Dubai thrash/ death metal band Nervecell always wanted to stick to metal. Says guitarist Rami Mustafa of his band that was formed in 1999, “We decided that we want to have the freedom to tour anytime, all the time. You cannot tour when having a full-time job. As simple as that. Let’s just say we customized our lives for music.”
Making it as a metal band is always difficult, but Nervecell have built a sizable fan base all over Asia and in Europe. When asked whether this means they’re getting the best of both worlds, guitarist Barney Ribeiro says, “Yeah, but don’t ever forget it’s really hard to get gigs.”
Despite becoming a regular name at European metal festivals such as Wacken Open Air and Brutal Assault, Nervecell, who are a bunch of metaller friends from Jordan, India and Lebanon based in Dubai, never felt the need to relocate to Europe to make it as a fulltime band. Both Mustafa and Ribeiro say they wouldn’t want to lose their roots as a band from the Middle East and leave behind family and friends.
Says Ribeiro, “Relocating to get more opportunities didn’t make sense, because in this day and age, you can be really independent and sufficient as a band, because of the industry and the way the Internet is changing how we work. Anyone can relocate to Europe, but there’s no guarantee that you will succeed.”
Go to this location for the complete story.
Nervecell have announced a string of European festival dates for August and September. Their schedule can be viewed below:
August
9 - Jaromer,Czech Republic - Brutal Assault Festival16 - Barth, Germany - Barther Metal Open Air
21 - Steiermark, Austria - Kaltenbach Open Air
30 - Rinnerwirt, Austria - Headbanger's Desaster Festival
September
4 - Marburg, Germany - KFZ5 - Hoogeveen, Netherlands - Occultfest
6 - Tutzpatz, Germany - Arschcholio Festival
10 - Den Haag, Netherlands - 330 Live
11 - Waregem, Belgium - Gasolina
12 - Emden, Germany - Full HD Festival
13 - Momignies, Belgium - Momignies Extreme Fest
For information and updates on Nervecell go to this location.